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Edward Powys Mathers
Edward Powys Mathers (28 August 1892 - 3 February 1939) was an English poet and translator, and also a pioneer of compiling advanced cryptic crosswords. Life Powys Mathers was born in Forest Hill, London, the son of a newspaper proprietor. He was educated at Loretto and Trinity College, Oxford. He is well known as the translator of J.C. Mardrus's French version of One Thousand Nights and One Night. His English version of Mardrus appeared in 1923, and is known as Mardrus/Mathers. He is known also for the translations The Garden of Bright Waters: One Hundred and Twenty Asiatic Love Poems (1920); and of the Kashmiri poet Bilhana in Bilhana: Black Marigolds (1919), a free interpretation in the tradition of Edward FitzGerald. These are not scholarly works, and are in some cases based on intermediate versions in European languages. He was also a composer of cryptic crosswords for The Observer under the pseudonym "Torquemada" from 1926 until his death. Under this pseudonym, he reviewed detective stories from 1934 to 1939. Recognition Some of his translations were set to music by Aaron Copland. His poetry was included in the Oxford Book of Modern Verse. Publications Poetry *''Red Wise'' (illustrated by Robert Gibbins). Waltham Saint Lawrence, Berkshire, UK: Golden Cockerel Press, 1926. *''Procreant Hymn'' (illustrated by Eric Gill). Waltham Saint Lawrence, Berkshire, UK: Golden Cockerel Press, 1926. Play *''Love Nights: A Laotian gallantry''. London: Golden Cockerel Press, 1936. Translated *''Coloured Stars: Versions of fifty Asiatic love poems. Oxford, UK: Basil Blackwell, 1919; Boston: International Pocket Library, 1918; Boston & New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1919. *Black Marigolds: Being a rendering into English of the 'Panchasika' of Chauras. Oxford, UK: Basil Blackwell, 1919. *The Garden of Bright Waters: One hundred and twenty Asiatic love poems. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1920. *Joseph C. Mardrus, ''Sung to Shahryar: Poems from the Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night. London: Casanova Society, 1925; New York: A. & C. Boni, 1925. *''Eastern love''. (3 volumes), London: Rodker, 1927. Volume 1: The lessons of a Bawd; Volume II: The harlot's breviary of Kshemendra; Volume III: The book of women and the education of wives. *''Love Stories and Gallant Tales from the Chinese''. London: Rodker, 1928. *''Ninety Short Tales of Love and Women from the Arabic''. London: Rodker, 1928. *''Love Tales of Cambodia, and Songs of the love nights of Lao''. London: Rodker, 1929. *''The Loves of Dāsin and Musa-ag-Amastān from the Tamashek, and Camel-boy rhythms from the Arabic'' London: Rodker, 1929. *Joseph C. Mardrus, The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night. (8 volumes), London: Casanova Society, 1929; (4 volumes), London: Folio Society, 1958; (4 volumes), London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1964. *''The tale of Pomegranate-flower, and The bridge of Baghdad''. London: Routledge, 1930. *''Chinese Love Tales''. New York: Avon, 1935. *''Love Songs of Asia''. London: Pushkin Press, 1944; New York: Knopf, 1946. *''Eastern Love Poems''. London: Folio Society, 1953. *Gustave Flaubert, Salambo (introduction by Gerard Manley Hopkins). London: Folio Society, 1950. *''Black Marigolds, and Coloured Stars''. London: Anvil Press Poetry, 2004. Other *''Cross Words in Rhyme, for those of riper years''. London: Routledge, 1925. *''The Torquemada Puzzle Book''. London: Gollancz, 1934. *''Torquemada / Powys Mathers: 112 best crossword puzzles'' (edited by J.M. Campbell). London: Pushkin Press, 1942. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Edward Powys Mathers, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Dec. 6, 2014. See also * List of British poets References External links ;Poems *Edward Powys Mathers at AllPoetry (119 poems) *Works of Edward Powys Mathers ;Books * * Black Marigolds at sacred-texts.com * The Garden of Bright Waters ;About *Edward Powys Mathers at Crossword.org. * Edward Powys Mathers as Torquemada Category:1892 births Category:1939 deaths Category:English poets Category:Crossword compilers Category:Translators of One Thousand and One Nights Category:Place of death missing Category:20th-century poets Category:English-language poets Category:English translators Category:Poets Category:Translators to English Category:Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford Category:People from London